Daily Kavanot
Writings of reflection by the Stephen Wise Temple clergy.
Each weekday morning, members of our mailing list receive the “Daily Kavanah,” which includes messages of thought, inspiration, and contemplation from our clergy, along with a schedule of events. Every Thursday, the “Daily Kavanah” turns into “Eyes on Wise,” our weekly newsletter featuring the latest news, photos, videos, stories, and tikkun olam opportunities from our community. Sign up and don’t miss out!
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, July 25, 2023
This Wednesday evening and Thursday, Jews throughout the world will observe Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av, which the sages set aside as a day of mourning several calamities suffered by the Jews of antiquity, including the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem. This week’s daily kavanot will trace the history and observance of Tisha B’Av from its establishment to the present day. Join us to observe this solemn day on Wednesday, July 26 at 7:15 p.m. at Temple Valley Beth Shalom. Once the sages conquered what few hurdles lay in their path to establish Tisha B’Av as a yearly day of mourning, they quickly instilled the day with an enduring lesson for the Jews of antiquity, ensuring that Jewish mourning served a broader purpose. Specifically, the sages cautioned that, while the First Temple was destroyed due to acts of idolatry, sexual misconduct, and violence, the Second [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, July 24 2023
This Wednesday evening and Thursday, Jews throughout the world will observe Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av, which the sages set aside as a day for mourning several calamities suffered by the Jews of antiquity, including the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem. This week’s daily kavanot will trace the history and observance of Tisha B’Av from its establishment to the present day. Join us to observe this solemn day on Wednesday, July 26 at 7:15 p.m. at Temple Valley Beth Shalom. The earliest mention of Tisha B’Av as a day of fasting comes from the Mishnah (published c. 200 C.E.), which suggests that five calamities befell Israel upon that day: It was the day that, our tradition holds, the Israelites first learned that they would not enter the Promised Land, as punishment for rejecting the land and resolving to return to Egypt following the report of [...]
Daily Kavanah – Shabbat Message From Rabbi Yoshi – Friday, July 21, 2023
When I was a little boy, I counted the days each winter leading up to our family ski trip to Colorado. Even the 12-hour drive from Omaha was fun. I got to sit in the "way back" of our station wagon, reading comic books while snuggled up in a sleeping bag that was draped over our luggage, ski boots, and other equipment. My dad would pick me up from ski school at the end of the day. I remember begging him to take me out for one last run, even after the lifts had already closed. We would put on our skis and he would side-step up the slope, dragging me up the mountain as I clutched tightly to his ski pole. Usually we cooked dinner in the condominium that my parents had rented for the week, but one night we’d go out as a family. I would fall asleep with [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, July 20, 2023
Beyn ha-Metzarim: Responding to Life’s Challenges If only we could promise our loved ones a life free of trouble and suffering. What parent has not wished to smooth the road before their child to minimize the painful moments of childhood and adolescence? What spouse or beloved sibling hasn’t dreamed of waving a hand to make a loved one’s pain disappear? Unfortunately, one only needs to live for a short while to discover that hardship and challenge are as much a part of human existence as all the joys and triumphs we experience along the way. I was recently called to the bedside of a gravely ill person to offer prayers with the other members of their family. As we prepared to speak our prayers, I offered this insight to those gathered at the bedside: “I wish I could promise you a miracle, but that is usually not the way our [...]
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, July 19, 2023
D'varim As the mourning of the three previous weeks anticipates its apogee with the observance of Tisha B’Av—the tradition’s full day of mourning for the cataclysms of the past—the community begins the reading of the fifth book of the Torah, Deuteronomy (or D’varim in Hebrew). Presented as Moses’ final oration, Deuteronomy is essentially a retelling of the story of desert wandering, offering a reframing of the books of Exodus and Numbers. Biblical scholars agree that Deuteronomy is likely to be the same scroll—in its earliest form—found by King Josiah’s personnel in approximately 620 B.C.E. (See 2 Kings 22:8-10) Thus, it preceded the destruction of the Temple by about 40 years. When the Jews were exiled to Babylon, they brought their sacred literature along with them, including the core of the text that would become Deuteronomy. In exile, they expanded on the book and edited others, moving ever closer to piecing [...]